Epilogue
by ViennaRoseMelancholia
Summary: For those who ship ClaraxChristian and want an epilogue. This takes place a year after my re-written ending to Boundless.
1. Chapter 1

As requested by Starly910. Hope you enjoy it, sweetie.

My style is a bit different to Cynthia's. I write thoughts in italics and I got half way through this before realising that she writes in first person! -My bad. I changed it over, but I left it in past tense, because I hate present tense, which, if I remember correctly, is what she uses. I am also using Australian (UK) English, so there will be differences in the spelling. eg; harbour/harbor, as well as terms; car park, -You use parking lot in the US right?  
***

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I stuck my hand out as I walked down the aisle of dresses, my fingertips brushing against coarse tulle and delicate chiffon.  
"Can we get coffee now? You said you were almost done when I rang. I would have brought the stroller if I knew you were going to take this long." Angela sighed and shifted Web to her other hip. "You're getting heavy, little man," she told him, shaking her head.  
I gave her an apologetic glance. "Sorry, it'll only take a minute."  
"What about this one?" she asked, holding up a peach coloured dress with ruffles.  
Although it would look nice on some people, the shade would blend with my hair and skin, making me look washed out.  
I screwed up my face and shook my head.  
"Come on, Clara. Just pick one."  
"I want something nice."  
"Did Chris say where he was taking you?"  
I held a sky blue dress against myself. "No idea."  
Angela snorted. "I wish Phen would come take me somewhere."  
"Have you heard from him lately?"  
"He said he'd come visit next weekend," Angela said, feigning interest in an orange frock.  
I gave her hand a gentle squeeze for reassurance. Phen hadn't been into the whole being a dad thing at first, though he had come to accept it. Being a grey wing, he spent a lot of time in hell and couldn't always be around, but he did care about Angela and Web and he was at least trying to be part of their lives. His visits had become more and more frequent over the past year.

When I turned into the next row, I froze. My eyes instantly went to a green satin dress with a gauzy gold overlay. It was mid-thigh, with a strapless sweetheart neckline and a tulle underskirt that made it flare out.  
It was stunning.  
I closed my mouth and moved towards the dress, unblinking. I fondled the fabric, stroking it and holding out the skirt.  
"That one?" Angela asked.  
"Oh, yeah. This one," I replied, freeing my size from the rack and making my way to the fitting room.

The next evening, I stood in my room, putting the finishing touches to myself. I was already wearing my new dress and had piled my hair in a mess of curls on one side of my head. I slipped my feet into silver heels as I fastened a chandelier earring in place. Then I turned to the mirror for the full effect and smiled.  
_Gorgeous._  
I gave a little twirl, making the skirt of my dress rise like a pancake tutu around my waist.  
"Clara, you ready?" Christian called from outside the door.  
"Coming!" I yelled as I grabbed my clutch and went to meet him.  
I stepped into the hall, a cheeky grin plastered on her face. Christian's eyes widened when he saw me.  
"Wow, you look amazing!"  
"Thanks, you're not so bad yourself," I said, taking in his dress pants and grey shirt.  
He gave me a quick kiss and took my hand, leading me down the hall.  
"Where are you taking me?" I asked when we got to his car.  
He smirked. "You'll find out when we get there I don't want to ruin your birthday surprise."

By the time we exited the Cabrillo Highway, I suspected he was taking me to a restaurant overlooking the water, but he turned off before we reached Crab Landing and parked the car in the Harbour car park.  
What was he up to? The Ketch Joanne Restaurant & Harbor Bar might be nice, but it was a casual place. And despite the fact that we were a little overdressed, it wasn't the kind of place I'd had in mind.  
As I got out of the car, I narrowed my eyes at him, my lips forming a hard line. He grinned in a devilish sort of way, his eyes shining in the dark and produced a basket from the back seat.  
Instead heading towards the restaurant, he tugged me the other way, out into the Pillar Point marina. The dark shadows of moored boats surrounded us, moving up and down on the water. My heart beat faster with the sheer creepiness of them and uncertainty of Christian's plans.  
He turned left, pulling me down between the boats and coming to a stop behind a cruiser.  
"All aboard," he said, holding out his arms.  
"We're going on a boat?"  
Way to state the obvious.  
Christian smiled. "We are. Oh, and you might want to take your shoes off to climb in."  
I kicked up my feet to remove my heels and grabbed his hand as I stepped over the side. He handed me the basket and then climbed in. He managed the feat in a much more dignified way, which I'm sure I could have done too if I was his height and was wearing pants.  
"How did you get a boat?" I asked, taking a seat on the couch in the cabin.  
"I hired it," Christian said, unfastening the moorings.  
He started the motor and drove the boat slowly out of the marina. I came to stand behind him, and rested my head against his arm.  
"I didn't know you knew how to drive a boat."  
He turned his head and kissed my hair. "I do now. Go up the front, it's more fun."  
With one hand on the side of the cabin and the other on the railing, I walked along the narrow gap to the bow of the boat and sat down. I gripped the rail tightly and dangled my legs over the side. Once out of the breakwaters, Christian floored the engine and I squealed in delight as we bounced through the glistening ocean into the inky night.  
***

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There's another chapter coming. I thought I'd keep it PG, Unless you really want a lemon?

Forgive me if I get the geography wrong. I'm using Google maps. I'm afraid I never got to visit San Fran when I was in California. I have no idea if you can take boats out of Pillar point at night, or what the sea is like there, but it was the only harbour anywhere on that part of the coast. This is inherently the problem with writing about a place you haven't been to.

Take care  
Rose


	2. Chapter 2

Here you go, my lovelies. The ending to my little tale. Sweet and not too saucy, so you younger ones can enjoy it too.

* * *

I was watching the stars when Christian pushed the throttle back, slowing the boat to a stop. He scrambled round to the front to join me.  
"You're sitting on the anchor," he said with a smirk.  
I shifted and he opened the box behind where I'd sat, releasing the anchor into the black water with a splash. I followed him back to the deck, where he pulled me into his arms. He cupped my jaw and brushed my lips with his.  
"Happy birthday, Clara," he whispered in a gravely, sexy voice. He held me at arm's length and looked into my eyes. "I have something for you."  
He walked over to the basket and withdrew a small box, presenting it to me on open palms. I undid the blue ribbon and lifted the lid.  
_Oh my god._  
It was a silver necklace, with a setting of green peridots and clear stones. I knew they had to be zirconias and not diamonds, but that didn't make it any less special.  
"Oh, Christian, it's beautiful!" I said, my voice going all high-pitched and squeaky.  
"So you like it?"  
"I _love_ it!"  
I gave him a hug, then pulled away to do the necklace up. He held my hair while I clipped it in place. It was cool against my throat and I couldn't wipe the smile off my face.  
"Angela told me what colour dress you picked, so I figured you might like gemstones the same colour."  
"I picked the dress because it's the same colour as your eyes," I admitted sheepishly.  
"Oh, I didn't even notice. All I know is how lovely you look in it."  
I looked away, still smiling. My ego didn't need any more stoking.  
Christian was unpacking things from the basket when I turned back. He pulled out a bottle of pink lemonade and stood it on the little table between the seats along with two glasses.  
I raised an eyebrow "Lemonade?"  
"It tastes better than champagne. Besides, I'm not meant to drink when I'm driving this thing."  
I giggled. He was right, champagne wasn't the nicest stuff. I guess we were still playing at being adults. I certainly didn't feel grown up yet.  
Christian sat a bundle of plastic containers on the table and started peeling off the lids. Inside were a variety of sweets, which elicited a severe tilting of my head.  
"Dessert buffet!" he announced, clearly excited.  
I put a hand over my mouth and eyed of the array of mini cakes, tartlets and éclairs. Then I held up my hands defensively.  
"Wait, I haven't accidentally taken us to heaven, have I?" I asked, shooting Christian a look.  
He laughed. "No, I think this is still our dimension."  
"Yah!" I squealed and snaffled a cake.

The boat rocked gently on the surface, the moonlight glittering in silver streaks on the glassy surface. I'd already devoured my fair share of desserts and hoped the motion wouldn't make me sick.  
"This is amazing. Thank you so much," I said, popping the last of a cream puff in my mouth.  
He sniggered and leaned over so his face was almost touching mine. "You have cream…here." He licked the side of my mouth.  
I wanted him to kiss me, but he pulled away and stripped off his shirt. Before I could put my hands all over his taut muscles, he stood up and unfurled his wings. I followed so I could run my fingers up his stomach and caress his speckled feathers. He caught my arm, making me look into his dazzling eyes.  
"Fly with me?"  
_Do you even need to ask?_  
I released my own wings in reply, grateful that my dress had a low back.  
"So this is why we're on a boat. You had me wondering," I said.  
Christian climbed onto the side of the cruiser. "Yeah, this is why we're on a boat. You didn't think our picnic was all I had planned, did you?"  
I wanted to beat him into the air, so I leaped onto the ledge, and jumped, pumping my wings down to push me into the sky.  
Christian was right behind me as I shot through the air, doing barrel rolls and loops. The wind was fast and refreshing on my face as I soared. Flying was the best feeling in the world, the peaceful, yet exhilarating sensation of simply being, as if you've stopped existing and broken into the individual particles that make up the sky.

Breathless, we returned to the cruiser, Christian landing first and me fluttering into his arms. We collapsed into the couch and I rested my head against his chest. He stroked my head and wound his fingers in my hair, which had fallen free of its pins and now tumbled over my shoulders. I pressed my lips against his skin and trailed kisses up his neck to his jaw. His chiselled mouth captured mine. My arms roamed across his back and he kissed me deeper, tightening and binding us together. I moved to straddle his waist. I could feel his hand burning a path up my thigh to settle on my hip.  
A shrill beeping rang out and Christian groaned.  
"What is that?" I asked, my lips kiss-swollen.  
He pressed his fingers to his watch, silencing the alarm. "I have to get the boat back by eleven."  
He scrunched his face up in annoyance and hoisted me off his lap. I walked my fingers down his jaw and he clasped my hand, drawing me close so his chin grazed mine.  
"We can continue this later, in my room," he whispered in my ear.  
I nuzzled my face into his neck. "Definitely."

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And I have officially had enough of these characters. I never want to think about them or this series again. It's so hard to write when you don't have any passion for them.

Critiques or feedback is always welcome.

Love  
Rose


End file.
